GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Upstate farmers fear the risk of empty shelves and closing doors under a new federal provision, which redefines regulations for hemp and the products that derive from the plant.

Lee Ford, the son of national championship coach Danny Lee Ford, has operated a hemp farming business for roughly eight years. What started out as a struggle for sourcing products quickly turned into a booming business, skyrocketing beyond the Ford family's typical sales of beef or hay.

The Ford family was among three Upstate farmers approved to grow the plant for South Carolina after the 2018 Farm Bill relaxed regulations surrounding the plant. This opened the door for pilot programs, which celebrated the growth of the plant for research purposes.

Ford said his family became interested in

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